ASF Names New Class of Bay Area Schweitzer Fellows

[San Francisco, CA – May 4, 2011] The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF) is thrilled to announce the selection of the 2011-12 class of Bay Area Schweitzer Fellows-12 graduate students who will spend the next year addressing health disparities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area while developing lifelong leadership skills.

Joining approximately 250 other 2011-12 Schweitzer Fellows at 13 program sites throughout the U.S., the newly selected Bay Area Schweitzer Fellows will partner with community-based organizations to develop and implement yearlong, mentored service projects that sustainably address the social determinants of health-all on top of their regular graduate school responsibilities.

"Due to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, an estimated 32 million previously uninsured people will soon be entering our country's health care system for the first time," says ASF Executive Director Sylvia Stevens-Edouard, MS. "Now more than ever, it is essential that we focus on developing a multidisciplinary pipeline of health professionals who have the dedication, skills, and cultural competency to effectively meet the health needs of these and other underserved people."

Upon completion of their initial year, these Bay Area Schweitzer Fellows will become Schweitzer Fellows for Life-and join a vibrant network of over 2,000 Schweitzer alumni who are skilled in, and committed to, addressing the health needs of underserved people throughout their careers as professionals. 99 percent of Fellows for Life say that their ASF experience is integral to sustaining their commitment to serve the underserved.

Since the Bay Area Schweitzer Fellows Program's founding in 2006, its Schweitzer Fellows have delivered more than 8,000 hours of direct service to vulnerable community members. A listing of the 2011-12 Bay Area Schweitzer Fellows, their schools, and their Schweitzer service projects follows. More information is available at www.schweitzerfellowship.org/bayarea.

2011-12 Bay Area Schweitzer Fellows

Leanne Almario, Stanford University School of Medicine Almario will create and implement a diabetes prevention program serving Native American youth. She plans to integrate the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown, a health promotion initiative based on evidence based messaging emphasizing healthy nutritional choices and behaviors. Community Site: Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley

Atoosa Firouzian, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine Firouzian will lead a group class for underserved women in the third trimester of their pregnancy about labor and delivery, infant development, and baby care. Community Site: Young Women's Program, UCSF/Mt. Zion Medical Center

Monica Grova and Brittany Grovey, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine Grova and Grovey will implement a health education program for women experiencing drug addiction and/or homelessness aimed at providing health information and resources for them and their children. Community Site: Jelani House, San Francisco

Sherry Kwon, University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy Kwon will launch a pharmacy clinic providing drug consultation and referral for free or low cost prescription drugs. Community Site: Glide Health Services, Glide Memorial Church, San Francisco

Erin Lutes and Shawna Mitchell-Sisler, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing Lutes and Mitchell-Sisler will develop and implement a focused, interactive intervention program for psychiatric patients with diabetes-related health issues. They plan to integrate the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown, a health promotion initiative based on evidence-based messaging emphasizing healthy nutritional choices and behaviors. Community Site: Glide Health Services, Glide Memorial Church, San Francisco

Shibani Rajadhyksha, University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry Rajadhyksha will carry out a health and science education program for underserved 5th graders. She plans to integrate the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown, a health promotion initiative based on evidencebased messaging emphasizing healthy nutritional choices and behaviors. Community Site: E.R. Taylor Elementary School, San Francisco

Kenneth Russell , Samuel Merritt University School of Nursing Russell will carry out health education and screenings for Native American individuals. He plans to integrate the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Kids Countdown, a health promotion initiative based on evidence-based messaging emphasizing healthy nutritional choices and behaviors. Community Site: Intertribal Friendship House, Oakland

Jennifer Tran, Touro University, California School of Osteopathic Medicine Tran will carry out a campaign to increase minority representation in the national bone marrow registry. Community Site: Asian American Donor Program

Wendy Tseng, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine Tseng will administer multi-disciplinary workshops on intimate partner violence and mental health for women and families living in San Francisco's Chinatown. Community Site: Chinatown Community Development Center and Donaldina Cameron House San Francisco

Kanizeh Fatema Visram, University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy Visram will work to identify and provide education about potentially serious/fatal medication errors and interactions among seniors and other vulnerable members of the community. Community Site: San Francisco Senior Center, Lifelong Medical Care Clinic, Mission Creek Mercy Housing, San Francisco

About The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (ASF)

Originally founded in 1940 to support Dr. Albert Schweitzer's medical work in Africa, ASF is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop Leaders in Service: individuals who are dedicated and skilled in meeting the health needs of underserved communities, and whose example influences and inspires others.

These Fellows - primarily university graduate students - partner with community-based organizations to identify an unmet health need, design a yearlong 200-hour service project with a demonstrable impact on that need, and bring that project from idea to implementation and impact. Rooted in a holistic understanding of health, Schweitzer projects address not only clinical issues, but also the social determinants of health. Annually, approximately 250 Schweitzer Fellows deliver more than 40,000 hours of health-related community service at thirteen locations across the U.S. A number of Schweitzer Fellows also work at the Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Africa, collaborating with hospital staff to help provide skilled care through over 35,000 outpatient visits and more than 6,000 hospitalizations annually for patients from all parts of Gabon.

When Fellows' initial year ends, they carry their commitment to meeting the health needs of underserved people forward as members of the Schweitzer Fellows for Life alumni network, a pipeline of Leaders in Service now more than 2,000 strong.

ASF's national office is located in Boston, MA and hosted by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.